Supplemental seal for garment sealing flap



June 1963 w. B. ROBERTS 3, ,8 0

SUPPLEMENTAL SEAL FOR GARMENT SEALING FLAP Filed May 26, 1961 G. 42.3 s- 22 16 a a/ 14/ Ft 4 1 5 s:

INVENTOR W/c aiam flrace Roberts States The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The invention relates to means for sealing garment openings against the entrance of extraneous matter and more specifically relates to an improvement of the invention disclosed in the application of Theodore L. Bailey, Serial Number 120,889 filed June 22, 1961.

While the invention disclosed in the Bailey application aforesaid effectively closes the garment opening against the entrance of foreign matter moving in a lateral direction, it makes no provision for the barring of the entrance of such matter when the latter is moving downwardly as into the neckband area of a skirt, jacket or the like or the waistband area of a nether garment. Both such openings are formed from overlapped inner and outer garment edge portions which may be secured together by one or more separable fasteners. The Bailey device aforesaid includes oppositely directed bights receiving the inner and outer edge portions which are connected together by a web formed with one or more holes in regis try with the separable fasteners. However, at the top of the garment opening the upper edges of the garment edge portions and the web are exposed and fluid, fumes, dust or air currents may pass freely downwardly between the web and the inner garment edge portions whereby to get inside the garment.

With the foregoing in view, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved garment sealing flap of the class described.

A further object is to provide in a garment sealing flap of the class described, means for sealing the top edges of the assembly of sealing flap and overlapped garment edge portions.

Other objects and advantages reside in the specific structure of the improvement and/or the combination thereof with a sealing flap and garment, all of which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the attached drawing showing one embodiment of the invention and to the following specification wherein the invention is described and claimed.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the invention apart from a garment;

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevational view of the same;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a garment showing the invention applied thereto; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 4-4 of FIG- URE 3.

Referring specifically to the drawing, wherein like reference characters designate like parts in all views, the sealing flap of the invention comprises a sheet of flexible and substantially impervious material having a length at least equal to that of the opening which it is intended to seal. In the embodiment illustrated, the flap shown is intended to close the front opening of a body garment such as a mans shirt, coat, blouse or jacket 11 which is closed by the usual row of buttons 12 and cooperating buttonholes 13. Buttons 12 are attached to the front sur- 3,092,840 Patented June 11, 1963 face of an inner free edge 14 of the garment 11, which edge defines one side of the garment front opening. The other side of the front opening is defined by an overlapping free garment edge 15 in which the buttonholes 13 are formed.

The flap-sheet 10 includes an outer side edge 16 and an inner side edge 17 which has been prefolded to underlie a portion of the sheet. It is secured in such prefolded position by any suitable means such as the bar-tack 18, FIGURE 2, along the bottom edge 19 of the device. The folded top edge 20 of sheet 10 is not connected together. The folded side edge 21 provides a permanent inner bight in which is received the free inner edge portion 14 of the garment 11. An inner and outer vertical row of buttonholes 22 and 23 respectively are formed in the major portion of sheet 10 which overlies the garment edge portion 14 with certain of the inner row of buttonholes 22 in registry with the buttons 12 to which they are buttoned. The outer garment edge portion 15 is now buttoned to the buttons 12 through the garment buttonholes 13. The remainder of the overlying flap portion is now turned back to overlie the outer garment edge portion 15 and provided a second bight 24 or folded side edge portion; Those buttonholes 23 of the outer row which register with the buttons 12 are now buttoned to complete the lateral seal of the garment opening. The Z-fold arrangement thus formed corresponds to that of the Theodore L. Bailey application referred to supra.

However, the seal is not complete because the upper edge portions of the sheet 10 and the garment edge portions 14 and 15 are exposed. To seal these exposed and substantially flush edges, there has been provided a tab 25 of impervious and flexible sheet material which is integral with, sewed or otherwise secured to the upper edge 20 of the infolded portion of the sheet 10 in the region of the folded edge or bight 21. Tab 25 is formed with a buttonhole 26 therethrough. After the sealing flap 10 has been applied as described above, the tab 25 is folded over the exposed upper edge portions of garment and flap and is buttoned to the topmost button 12 of the garment 11 whereby to provide a top cover or seal for the previously exposed area.

Although the invention has been shown and described as being applied to a body garment of the shirt or jacket type, it is obvious that it is equally applicable to nether garments such as trousers, shorts, skirts or the like. Likewise, while there has been shown and described what is now thought to be a preferred embodiment of the invention, it should be understood that the same is susceptible of other forms and expressions. Consequently, the invention is not considered to be limited to the precise structure shown and described hereinabove but only as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. In a sealing flap for a garment closure formed of overlapped inner and outer garment edge portions secured together by at least one separable fastener, said flap comprising a separate body of impervious sheet material arranged in a 2-fold to provide inner and outer bights respectively receiving therein said inner and outer garment edge portions, said flap and garment having substantially flush upper edge portions, and means readily detachably securing said flap to said garment; the improvement comprising an extension of said flap material extending upwardly of a portion of said upper edge portion thereof, said extension being adapted to be folded to an operative position overlying said flush upper edge portions of at least said garment portions, and means for readily detachably securing said extension in said operative position.

2. In a sealing flap for a garment closure formed of overlapped inner and outer garment edge portions secured together by at least one separable fastener, said flap comprising a separate body of impervious sheet material arranged in a 2-fold to provide inner and outerbights respectively receiving -therein said inner and outer garment edge portions, said flap and garment having sub- -stantially flush upper edge portions, and means readily detachably securing said flap to said garment; the improvement comprising an extension of said flap material extending upwardly of a portion of saidupper edge portion thereof, inwardly of said inner garment edge portion; said extension being adapted to be folded forwardly to an operative position overlying said upper edge portions of comprising a separate body of impervious sheet material arranged in a 2-fold to provide inner and outer bights respectively receiving therein said inner and outer garment edge portions, said flap and garment having substantially flush upper edge portions, and means readily detachably securing said flap to said garment; the improvement comprising a flexible and substantially impervious tab extending upwardly of said upper edge portion of said sheet inwardly of said inner garment edge portion, said tab being adapted to be folded forwardly to an operative position overlying said upper edge portions of said garment and sheet, and meansfor readily detachably se curing said tab to said separable fastener means to maintain said tab in said operative position.

References Cited 'in the filerof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,956,489 Bryant Apr. 24, 1934 2,375,779 Freedman May 15, 1945 

1. IN A SEALING FLAP FOR A GARMENT CLOSURE FORMED OF OVERLAPPED INNER AND OUTER GARMENT EDGE PORTIONS SECURED TOGETHER BY AT LEAST ONE SEPARABLE FASTENER, SAID FLAP COMPRISING A SEPARATE BODY OF IMPERVIOUS SHEET MATERIAL ARRANGED IN A Z-FOLD TO PROVIDE INNER AND OUTER BIGHTS RESPECTIVELY RECEIVING THEREIN SAID INNER AND OUTER GARMENT EDGE PORTIONS, SAID FLAP AND GARMENT HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY FLUSH UPPER EDGE PORTIONS, AND MEANS READILY DETACHABLY SECURING SAID FLAP TO SAID GARMENT; THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING AN EXTENSION OF SAID FLAP MATERIAL EXTENDING UPWARDLY OF A PORTION OF SAID UPPER EDGE PORTION THEREOF, SAID EXTENSION BEING ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED TO AN OPERATIVE POSITION OVERLYING SAID FLUSH UPPER EDGE PORTIONS OF AT LEAST SAID GARMENT PORTIONS, AND MEANS FOR READILY DETACHABLY SECURING SAID EXTENSION IN SAID OPERATIVE POSITION. 